McQueen's Kid
by MagicGoldenFlower
Summary: Stella McQueen has been living in Radiator Springs her whole life. She grew up going to her father's races and cheering him on, but when the Next Generation of Racers threaten to take her father's place, Stella is forced to learn how to compete. Will Stella be able to live out the family name or will she give her family shame? Based off of all three Cars films
1. chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Go McQueen! Woo-hoo!" Mater shouted as he swung his tow cable around. The group cheered as McQueen's passed another car as he zoomed around the race track. Today was going to be a great race!

"Look at your daddy out there, sugar!" Flo cheered as she lightly tapped my side.

"Yeah, he's doing really well today." I smiled, looking up at the big screen, watching my father move up to first place. I had adored him since I was manufactured.

"Are we's gonna come here and watch you's race someday?" Mater grinned, looking down at me. Immediately, I shook my head, smiling.

"Sorry, Mater. Not fast enough. Those cars are going about 196 miles an hour. No way I could top that." I argued as the yellow flag was waved, bringing most of the racers in for a pit stop.

Luigi and Guido began shouting in Italian as McQueen entered the pit. He lifted his wheels, a wide smile on his face. Fillmore filled his tank quickly as everyone gave Lightning encouragement. This was what he loved doing, he didn't need encouragement. As quickly as he entered, he was leaving. "Getting a car wash too, Cal?" He teased as he drove by.

"No. You're getting a car wash, McQueen." Cal mumbled back, frowning as he looked at the ground.

"Nice comeback, Cal." The King chuckled as Cal drove off to chase after McQueen. I giggled as I looked back at the track. Ever since I was little, I had been coming here to watch my father race. I would give anything to be out there racing just like him.

McQueen zoomed across the finish line, a huge smile plastered on his face. He looked so happy. The crowds cheered as he went to go talk to his racing buddies. "Stel, you comin' or what?" Mom asked, pulling me away from the pit.

"Sorry, just got my head up in the clouds." I smiled as I drove up beside her. She smiled and rolled her eyes. I'm always in my own world.

"Yeah, yeah. Now let's go greet your dad after his interview." Mom smiled, lightly tapping my side. I nodded my head followed behind her, seeing my dad come into view.

"Yeah, I think the thing is is that we all respect each other and-" Dad stated as a group of his friends drove by, spraying him in giant soap bubbles and tossing confetti into the air.

"Good win, Cupcake!" They shouted as the drove away laughing, leaving my dad covered in their mess.

He spit the soap bubbles out of his mouth, his voice changing. "Oh they're gonna pay." He stated.

xxx

Dad had another race across the country, but I decided to stay home with one of my few friends. Many people come and visit Radiator Springs, but hardly anyone stays for long. "Hey, Ethan." I greeted as I drove up to the black pickup truck.

"Hey, Stel. What? Did they leave you behind again?" He teased as he drove out of his parents' shop. They had taken over what used to be Doc's job. Ethan's dad is now the the town judge while his mother is the doctor.

"Har, har. No. I stayed behind this time." I smiled, rolling my blue eyes. He chuckled and followed me towards the Cozy Cone. Ethan and I have been best friends since I was eight years old, when he moved to town. Since then, we've been inseparable.

"I'm surprised. You love going to your old man's races." He replied as we entered the main office. The place hadn't changed much, beside the pictures hanging up everywhere. I looked around, my favorite one still in its usual place.

"He's not old." I scoffed, driving behind the counter. Since Mom and Dad were gone, I was in charge of watching over the motel.

"Well he's getting up there. He's been racing for, what? Eighteen years plus?" Ethan argued, making me scrunch my face. I didn't like the thought of my father retiring. It just didn't feel right.

"So? He loves it and I couldn't picture him doing anything other than racing." I defended. Ethan shrugged his tires, giving me his look.

"Stella, I don't like the idea either, but sooner or later his racing days will be over. Somehow everyone will have to deal with it. Old man McQueen can't race forever." He fired back. I looked to the ground, knowing he was right.

"Can't we just talk about something else?" I mumbled. I didn't want to talk about this, I didn't even want to think about it. My dad loved racing. If he stopped racing, he wouldn't be the same.

I turned on the tv, wanting to watch the race. What? Just because I don't want to travel across the country doesn't mean I don't want to watch the race. "I'll go get us both a quart of oil from Flo's." Ethan chuckled, driving towards the Café.

I flipped through the channels, listening to all of the news reporters talk about my dad's winning percentage this year. As usual, it was higher than the rest. My dad was the fastest car in the world after all. "Here's your oil, Miss Stella." Ethan smiled, passing my drink.

"Thank you." I grinned, happily taking his offer. This was how we always watched the races together. We always huddled around my mother's little tv as we laughed at lame commercials and cheered on my father.

"In the lead, we have Cal Weathers with Bobby Swift close behind. " Bob stated as the camera zoomed in on the track.

"And slowly making his way into second, we have Lightning McQueen!" Darrell cheered as we watched my father move forward on the track.

"Woo! Go old man McQueen!" Ethan cheered beside me, making me laugh.

"Stop calling him that! When he gets back you'll accidentally call him it and he'll have your engine!" I laughed, hitting his tire with mine. He rolled his brown eyes and smiled at me.

"I think I can take him. What's a race car gonna do to me?" He questioned, a slight smirk present on his face.

"What? Haven't you ever heard of the story of the time old man McQueen paved these roads?" I teased, trying to sound serious but failing miserably. Ethan shook his head, laughing.

"No way he did that. He does not have the towing capacity." He smiled, looking down at me.

"But it's true! And he since he was so terrible at it, Doc made him scrape it off and start all over." I laughed, making Ethan cock his eyebrow (or what would be his eyebrow) at me.

"Really? And who told you this?" He smirked.

"Well everyone of course. They thought it was the best thing to ever happen to the town." I smiled, showing off my perfect white teeth. He scoffed and pushed my face away.

"Don't smile like that! You look too much like your dad! That face just reminds me of one of his terrible commercials." He scrunched, making me laugh. My father and I could be twins. Same blue eyes and same cheery red paint. The only difference was that I was a Porsche and he was a race car.

"Hey, it's not his fault he can't be an actor and a racer." I grinned.

"And winning the race is Cal Weathers!" Bob cheered, interrupting us. We turned back to the tv, seeing Dad come in second. Oh well, Dad couldn't win every time. We watched as Cal's pit crew tossed him in the air, chanting about his win.

"Come on, I just want to see his interview." Ethan mumbled as he stared at the tv. Cal's team put him on the ground, letting him drive over for his interview.

"Nice win today, Mr. Weathers. How did you do it?" Kori asked, leaning in close.

"Well it was really simple, all I had to do was- hey!" He shouted as his tires filled up to their highest capacity. He struggled to turn. "Guido!" He shouted, looking at my dad and Guido, who was smirking.

"Nice win, Cal!" Dad laughed as he drove away. Cal furrowed his eyebrows as his trunk flew open and tiny little balloons of my dad flew up into the air, tied to the back of him. He didn't have to say anything. We all knew that was his payback.

Ethan turned off the tv, slightly laughing. "Old man McQueen has done it again."


	2. chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I drove beside Mom at another one of my father's races. After what Ethan said about Dad retiring soon, it got me thinking. I want to be here for all of his last races. I know I said I could never see him retiring, but he can't race forever. "Hey, Little Red." Mom greeted, using my nickname.

"Hey." I smiled, staring at the track as the racers zoomed by, echoing around us. I could almost feel the wind blowing against us.

"So, what made you want to come to Ohio today?" She asked, trying to make small talk over the roaring crowd.

"Don't know. Just felt like coming." I replied, shrugging my tires. Mom didn't need to know my reasons. If I told her, she would just tell me not to worry and etc.

"Well, I know your father loves seeing you out here supporting him." She stated, a soft smile present on her face. I nodded my head as my blue eyes caught sight of a new racer.

"Mom, who's that?" I asked. I had never seen him before and I had been coming to races almost my whole life. I've seen racers come and go, but this guy looked different. He almost sent shivers down my spine just looking at him.

"Umm, I don't know." She mumbled as she drove closer into our pit. I followed behind her, confused by her sudden change. Usually Mom was never worried about other racers.

"Flo, do you know who #20 is?" Mom asked, gathering the attention of the rest of the town. (Literally.) Everyone looked towards the screen, seeing the sleek black car near the back.

Everyone began talking over each other, all of them saying they'd never seen him before. Before we knew it, the yellow flag was waved and Dad came rolling into the pits, a smile plastered on his face. "Guido!" He cheered.

Guido quickly got to work as everyone else did their jobs. We didn't think Dad needed to know about the new racer. "Doin' great out there, Stickers!" Mom cheered.

"Thanks, Sal." He smiled as Guido pushed him away. He winked at my mother as he zoomed off, taking his place in the lead. I wanted to watch my dad, really, but something about that #20 made my stomach hurt. No matter how hard I tried to keep my eyes on my father, I kept finding myself watching that black and blue car.

"McQueen is in the lead, Swift in second, and Weathers in third as we enter the final turn." Bob announced, making me turn to look back at my father and all of his friends. Their smiles were wide as they tried to pass my father.

"This is going to be another great win for McQueen!" Darrell added. Soon, I watched #20 move up towards the front, passing every singe car. In the last second, he passed my father, taking first place. "Unbelievable! Lightning McQueen has been passed, taking second place!" Darrell shouted.

The crowd began to roar, sounding like a jet plane. The place was going insane as the racers made their way off of the track. Cars were freaking out, all of them confused about what happened. #20 was in last place just a few laps ago. How did he win?

"Darrell, we haven't seen someone pass the finish line with that kind of power since the young Lightning McQueen." Bob added, giving us a more informative response. All of us turned towards the awards stand, watching #20 take his place.

We drove close to my father, ready to get some answers, but he looked just as confused as us. "Bobby, Cal, who's that?" Dad asked as his friends drove up behind him.

"That's um, Jackson Storm. He's part of the New Generation of racers." Bobby answered. Camera flashes were everywhere as everyone tried to get a shot of Jackson. We watched as Dad drove to him. "Hey, good race out there today." Dad congratulated, like he always does.

"You have no idea how nice it is to finally beat you." Jackson replied, ignoring my father's compliment. Dad slight chuckled and looked at Jackson.

"Wait. Did you say meet or beat?" He smiled, hoping Jackson meant the first one.

"I think you heard me." Jackson replied, his lips in a tight line. Dad raised his eyebrows (or what would be) in surprise. He wasn't expecting that.

"Hey! Can we get some shots?" Someone shouted towards the back.

"Yes! Take lots of pictures! McQueen here has been my inspiration for a long time," Jackson explained. He looked towards my father, his facial expression changing. "And I mean a very, long time." He explained as he bumped my father's tires.

"Jackson!"

"Jackson, over here!"

"Jackson! Can we have some more photos?" Interviewers shouted as Jackson happily drove away from my dad. Soon, he was left alone. We drove beside him, ready to congratulate him on his second place.

"Good job, Dad." I started, since the rest of them acted like a skid steer had their tongues. I smiled at him, hoping he knew I was being serious. He looked at me, joy being brought back to his eyes.

"Thanks Stel. I'm glad you came today." He grinned, sincerity present in his voice.

"Me too."

xxx

"Tell me again why you aren't watching this with your parents." Ethan demanded as he set up the tv in his garage. I paced around the room, trying to find something to keep myself busy until the show started.

"Look, I love my parents and all, but sometimes they can be a bit overbearing. Plus you're my best friend. Who else would I watch it with?" I answered, making him shrug his tires.

The show started, making my oil pressure rise. God, I was so anxious. "Welcome to Chick's Hot Picks with your host, me, Chick Hicks, your favorite and forever Piston Cup Winner." The green car gloated, almost making me want to gag.

"But enough about me. Let's talk about my old buddy Kachow's recent race. I would like to bring in our number cruncher, Natalie Certain!" Chick smiled as a dark red car drove up beside him.

"Thanks, Chick." She greeted, her tone saying she felt otherwise. It almost looked like she was glaring at him.

"So, how did Jackson Storm win? He was at the very end for almost the whole race." Chick questioned, asking the question everyone in the country was thinking.

"One reason Storm won is his ability to hold the racing line every single lap. Storm's in a class of his own. A big reason for that, training on the newest cutting edge simulators." Natalie explained.

"What would that have to do with Kachow getting second place?" Chick asked, obviously rehearsing his lines. They sounded too well thought out to be coming out of his mouth.

"These machines create a virtual racing experience so real, racers never even have to go outside." She answered. I turned to look at Ethan, whose face was scrunched up in confusion. Never go outside?

"These simulations must be top notch then, huh? What do they help offer these Next Generation racers that Kachow isn't getting?" He asked, somehow managing to ask questions rattling off in my brain.

"These Next Generation racers have 2% lower drag pull resistance, 5% increase downforce, 1.2% higher top speeds," she replied. She turned towards the camera, her eyes locking with mine. "Veteran racers have almost no chance competing with these high tech-"

The tv went black and I looked back at Ethan. "What was that for?" I exclaimed, upset that he shut it off. I wanted to see the end. I had to see the end.

"She's just rambling off a bunch of stupid statistics a computer added for her. I don't want you to listen to it." He replied, his voice sounding cold.

"I'm not a baby, Ethan. I can handle what she was going to say." I fired back, raising my voice. This was one of the reasons I didn't want to watch this with my parents. They would have done the same thing.

"Stella, I don't want you watching it." He snapped, glaring at me, but he knew I wasn't afraid to shout. He knew I could raise hell without meaning to, something else I gained from my father.

"Why? Do you think I'm still a child? That I'm going to cry watching something some lady thinks she knows everything about?" I began shouting.

"No!"

"Then why did you shut it off? You wouldn't do it unless you had a reason, Ethan." I growled. His face softened as I began to slow my breathing. Like usual, our fights were short and to the point.

"Look, Stella. I know you can handle it. I know you," he stated, driving closer to me. "I just... I don't want you to think that your dad doesn't have a chance. I don't want you thinking that just because Natalie said it would happen that it would."

I looked down, letting this process through my head. I let my temper get the best of me. God, Ethan always does everything to protect me and my feelings. What was I thinking just shouting at him? "I'm sorry." I stated.

"It's okay. I know this is tough to handle. I mean, your dad's racing career is on the line, Stel." He replied, sympathy clear in his eyes and his voice. I nodded my head and headed towards the door.

"I'm gonna head home. Thanks for letting me watch this over here with you." I softly smiled, hoping he knew that I would be okay.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" He offered. I shook my head.

"I just want to be alone right now, E. Thanks though." I replied, heading out of the door. I heard him follow me out and stop at the end of the driveway, watching me head towards the Cozy Cone. My parents built a little house on the other side of the parking lot for us.

I drove by the office, hearing the tv still running. I glanced in, wondering what they thought of the show. Dad was so close to the tv that my eyes began to burn. Mom was looking back and forth between him and the tv. Man, this really was getting serious. "Turn it off, Sal." He mumbled, backing away.

Mom turned it off, sending them into darkness, their only light coming from the lamp behind Mom. Dad was frowning as he stared at the floor. Thoughts must have been filling in his head. "Let's just head back to house. I bet Little Red is anxiously waiting to see you." Mom softly smiled, hoping to coax him out of the office.

Shoot. I wasn't in the house at all. Quickly, I turned towards the house, trying to get inside before anyone saw me. Faster than fast I was in and patiently waiting for them to come in any second. "Hey, sweetheart." Dad greeted as he entered the house.

"Oh, hey guys! Where'd ya go? I haven't seen ya for a while-"

"Stel, we watched you race us back to the house. No need for the acting," Mom interrupted with Dad trying to hold his laughter in beside her. My mouth hung open as I looked to Dad for help, but he was useless. "Where were you?" She added.

"I was just at Ethan's." I answered as they drove closer to me. Mom looked into my blue eyes, checking to make sure I wasn't lying, not that I would.

"Okay. Just watching a movie?" She asked, this time sounding more like herself. She must have noticed that I was in fact telling the truth.

"Yeah." I lied. Wow. I guess I do lie.

"Sounds like fun," Dad yawned, joining in on our conversation. "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. Night, Stella." Dad smiled as he headed towards my parents' bedroom.

"Night, Dad. Night, Mom." I replied, heading towards my own room.

"Night." Mom mumbled as she headed towards the kitchen. She was probably going to finish up her paperwork. Mom is Dad's lawyer and now that everything seems to be going crazy, she must have to start filling out new papers.

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard them fighting. My parents hardly ever fight unless it's something important. I leaned towards their wall, trying to hear what they were saying. "Lightning, it'll be okay."

"No, Sally! It's not okay. According to the rest of the country, I'm going to retire this year! Now that there's new racers here, I'm just a veteran!" Dad argued back. I furrowed my eyebrows, taking in his side.

"Lightning, nothing is set in stone. You haven't signed the retirement papers. This was just one race! Two people have been fired, that's it! You'll be okay." Mom replied, trying to calm him down.

"Everyone else thinks differently! After this year, there won't be anymore veterans. Next year, all of the racers will be rookies." Dad fired back.

"Not necessarily. Besides, what does Natalie Certain know? All of her statistics are just estimates." Mom argued. Everything was silent.

"Sally, I'm just scared. What if this really is my last year?" Dad softly replied.

"This won't be your last year, Stickers."


	3. chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

My blue eyes scanned the newspapers with Ethan's. The front headlines just made my stomach drop. Reading them just seemed unrealistic to me. These past few weeks felt like a nightmare.

 _Storm's third win while McQueen places fourth._

 _Fourth win for Storm. Lucky number seven for McQueen._

 _Storm is unbeatable! McQueen takes fifth!_

"God, what's happening?" I whispered as the headlines pounded over and over in my head. Dad hasn't had one win since Storm showed up. At moments like this, I questioned if Natalie was right.

"Stella, I know that earlier this year I said he was going to retire soon, but I didn't mean-"

"I know, Ethan," I replied, cutting him off. "I know what you meant." I softly smiled, looking into his brown eyes. He nodded his head looking down. I lightly tapped his tires, getting him to look at me. He smiled, lightly tapping me back.

"Every week, racers either retire, like Cal Weathers tonight, or are fired to make way for the Next Generation." Natalie interrupted, drawing our attention to the tv at Flo's Café. Everyone turned at look at Dad, who just got home from a race about an hour ago.

"Cal retired?" Sarge questioned. That hit everyone hard. Cal had taken the place of his uncle Strip 'The King' Weathers. Cal was a rookie with Dad for a long time. Him retiring was a huge wake up call.

"Yeah." Dad mumbled. Everyone was silent as this processed through our heads. Cal Weathers, the racer for Dinoco was retiring.

"The only veteran left is my buddy Kachow," Chick smiled, looking into the camera. We looked at Dad, waiting to see what his reaction would be. "Actually, instead of calling him 'Kachow', his name should be 'Caboose' because he's always coming in last!" Chick laughed.

Everyone was silent as we listened to them rattle off more statistics. Dad let out a long sigh and began to drive away, his eyebrows furrowed. We watched him drive towards Willy's Butte, obviously lost in thought. "I'll go talk to him." Mom stated as she drove after him.

"Just leave him alone, Sal," Sheriff replied, making Mom stop in her tracks. "He just needs some time to think." He added. Mom sat there, biting her lower lip. She nodded her head and drove towards the motel instead.

"Man, what's happening to this place?" Ramone mumbled. I glanced at the ground, rubbing my tires slowly. Everything felt bad. Everything felt wrong. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

"Stella, you okay?" Flo asked, driving towards me and Ethan. I jumped, coming out of my thoughts. I nodded my head, looking up at her.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Flo." I replied, though I wasn't sure if I was.

"You sure?" She questioned, looking me over.

"You are looking a little blue." Sheriff added as the town gathered around me to get a look.

"Blue? Look how red she is! She must be runnin' a fever!" Lizzy shouted from the corner.

"Have some of my organic fuel, man. It'll help." Fillmore joined in, a soft smile on his face.

"That freak juice? It'll make her more sick!" Sarge quickly argued, getting into another argument with his best friend.

"Naw! She just needs a new coax of poli!" Ramone exclaimed. Soon, everyone was shoving their opinions down my throat. I could hardly think for myself as they crowded around me, trying to get a good look.

"Stella! Sheriff!" Dad shouted over the noise. Everyone stopped and turned around, giving me space. When did Dad come back? Or did he just never leave?

"Yeah?" I asked, driving to him. Thank god for Dad or they would have never stopped.

"You and Ethan go grab the speedometer. Mater, Sheriff, go get set up. We're gonna train a little." Dad commanded. Quickly, we followed orders. Ethan and I rushed to move the speedometer at the end of the track.

"Old man McQueen seems very determined right now." Ethan smiled, trying to make small talk as he towed the speedometer on his trailer.

"Very determined. Natalie and Storm must be getting into his head." I answered, blinking my eyes as I shook my head. Ugh, could you imagine having them in your head all day?

Ethan softly chuckled as we set everything up for Dad. Dad went to the starting line as we hung out by the speedometer. Even from across the track, we could hear him giving himself a pep talk. "Here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. I'm faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lighting." Dad stated as he shook out his tires.

He closed his eyes as he rubbed his left tire in the dirt, feeling the track underneath him. Everything was quiet as we anxiously watched him. We jumped at the sound of him taking off. He took the turn like a pro, wrapping around Willy's Butte.

His eyebrows were furrowed as he sped towards us, going as fast as he could. The speedometer beeped as it tracked his time. I drove in front of it, getting a look at the speed. 198 mph. Not bad. "How'd I do?" Dad panted as he drove up to us.

"198." I answered, turning to look at him.

His jaw dropped and his blue eyes filled with shock. "198? That's it?" He exclaimed.

"You just needed a warmup, buddy." Mater encouraged, try to bring a smile to Dad's face.

"Okay. Good idea, Mater." Dad agreed, heading back to the starting line. Ethan turned and looked at the rusty tow truck.

"Do you really think he can top it?" Ethan asked. Mater nodded his head as he put on a big, toothy smile.

"Of course I do. Lightnin' can do anythang he puts his mind to!" Mater replied, hopefulness present in his voice. Dad zoomed past again, looking more determined. Sheriff checked it, his face slightly dropping.

"How about now? That one had to be faster." Dad quickly rambled as he drove back to us. Sheriff shook his head, his lips in a tight line.

"Sorry, Lightning. Still 198." He answered.

"What? No! I have to be faster than that!" Dad exclaimed, desperation dripping from his lips. His eyes pleaded for Sheriff to change his answer, but Sheriff couldn't lie to Dad, no one could.

"Dad, it's okay. 198 is still really good. Last week you were doing 196." I added, trying to bring encouragement to him. He looked at me, his face stern. Oh great, here comes the wrath of Lightning McQueen.

"Stella, that's not good enough. Storm is out there driving 204 mph. This is only getting me fifth, maybe fourth place against him. I need to be faster!" He exclaimed, raising his voice.

"And what are we gonna do about it? Do we look like professionals? If you wanted someone to get you faster, then you called the wrong people. All we can do if offer support and tell you what your speed is!" I fired back. Immediately, I regretted. He was taken aback. Oh great, now I was probably going to be punished for this outburst.

"Look, Stella. I didn't mean to blame you for this. I'm under a ton of pressure from this whole mess. I need another win and seeing my top speed at 198 is driving me insane." He responded.

"We know you can win another race, Lightning." Sheriff replied, interrupting our argument. Sheriff's never liked fights so he's always done his best to prevent them from happening.

"Yeah, Lightnin'! You are the fastest car in the whole wide world!" Mater added, slightly swing his tow cable.

"Mr. McQueen, at your next race, we could observe you. I mean, you don't have to be the fastest to win. You just have to be smarter." Ethan offered, joining in. Dad stopped and smiled at Ethan.

"That's a wonderful idea." Dad grinned, going back into his positive self. That's the Lightning McQueen I knew.

 _xxx_

"I'm so glad that your parents let you come." I smiled as we headed into the pits. Dad's race was about to start so Ethan and I had to quickly head back.

"Yeah. I'm surprised to be honest. They don't really like me being out here since it's 'dangerous.'" Ethan replied, rolling his eyes. His parents were very strict, hardly ever letting Ethan leave Radiator Springs.

"Well, dangerous for the racers, but nothing's ever too bad. I mean, the last terrible crash was The King, and that was when Dad was a rookie." I explained as we moved into the crew. Sarge took his place as Dad's crew chief for this race, since they all take turns.

The racers began making their lap, heading towards the starting line. Even from here, we could see Dad's frown. He looked between him, driving slower than usual. As if on cue, Storm pulled up beside him. "Hey Champ, where did all of your friends go?" He asked before he sped away.

Everyone turned and looked at Sarge, wondering if Jackson had really said that. Sarge had bad hearing from the war, so he always had the headset extra loud, loud enough that we could hear it. "Just ignore him, Lightning." He commanded into the headset. Suddenly, the green flag was waved and Dad zoomed off, taking the lead. This was new.

The camera panned in on Dad, whose face was full of determination. Jackson cut him off, taking the lead from him. Ethan furrowed his eyebrows, intently watching Dad. "So, what do you think about today's race so far?" I asked, trying to ignore the track. I hated seeing Storm in the lead.

"Definitely isn't his worst race. I'd have to get better equipment to check his oil pressure and stuff for the next one, but he seems to be doing pretty well." Ethan summarized gently. I softly smiled and nodded my head.

Dad would get faster and better. This wasn't going to be his last year. "This pit stop could mean first place for McQueen." Bob announced, taking me back to the race. A yellow flag was raised and Dad zoomed in.

"Come on, Guido! Faster! I gotta beat him!" Dad shouted, making Guido rush. Faster than ever, Guido jumped around Dad, doing the work of four in half the time.

"Bato! Bato!" Guido exclaimed, rushing Dad out of the pits. Ethan and I zoomed towards the front of our pit, trying to get a closer look at the track. Something wasn't sitting right inside my stomach. Something was wrong.

Through Sarge's headset, we could hear Dad panting. He was pushing himself so hard. He had to beat Storm. "Hey Champ, you had a good run. Enjoy your retirement." Storm stated before he zoomed into the lead.

Dad's face dropped as he watched Storm pass him. "McQueen is fading!" Darrell shouted. "Fading fast!"

Dad slowed down, not only getting passed by Storm, but two other racers. Darrell's comment repeated in my head over and over again. This wasn't happening. This was just a stupid dream.

"No." We heard Dad mumbled into the headset. Everyone was quiet, waiting and watching. Dad's pants grew harder and louder as he pushed himself to catch the leaders. Everyone could see him shaking.

"He's got to take it down or he'll hurt himself." Ethan exclaimed, rushing to Sarge's side.

"Lightning, take it easy. It'll be alright." Sarge explained, but Dad obviously couldn't hear him. He pushed himself harder, his face showing he was in pain. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed in the stadium. His right tire burst.

Everything happened in slow motion. Dad slammed against the wall and flew into the air. I watched him tumble airborne, doing at least four flips before smashing against the track, sliding on it before rolling at least another fifteen times. "Lightning!" Mom shouted before taking off.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, driving after my mom. Ethan held me back as the rest of the town went to my father. "Ethan! Let me go!" I cried. "I have to get to him!"

"Stella, just stay here."

"No! I need him! I have to make sure he's okay!" I sobbed, tearing streaming down my face as I tried to get past him.

I watched as ambulances and tow trucks were rushed to the scene. This wasn't happening. This was some sick nightmare. My father crashed. For all I know, he could be dead. "Please, Ethan!" I begged.

"Stella, your mom wants me to keep you here."

"No! I have to see him! He could be dead!" I sobbed, my tears blurring my vision.

"I'm sorry, Stella. I'm going to follow your mother's orders." He softly answered. I gave in, just sobbing on his side. There was no point to fight him. All I could think about was Dad.


End file.
